By J.J. Tindall
For Margaret
Oasis
O: that’s my SELF
floating before me
content and contrite,
liberated by quietude
and the slant
of autumn light.
Only in absentia
do I realize the drum
of the incessant, urban
Dynamo Hum.
Suddenly: a sea
change . . .
cicadas for sirens,
whippoorwills for
car alarms,
playing cards in bike spokes
for Mack trucks on
potholes.
I don’t miss the tamale
stands, tire shops
and bars
but it’s only Oak Park
so I still can’t see
the stars above
the hemlock, juniper,
evergreen, oak,
aspen, juniper,
catalpa and birch.
The great love
of an old friend,
the old love
of a great friend
understood, and then
beckoned.
O: that’s my SELF
floating before me,
gregarious and grateful,
pressing against my nose
that I never forget to
remember . . .
since the transient,
exhilarating suburban
mirage
will fade me back
unto my fugitive, Humboldt Park
garage.
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J.J. Tindall is the Beachwood’s poet-in-residence. He welcomes your comments. Chicagoetry is an exclusive Beachwood collection-in-progress.
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More Tindall:
* Music on MySpace
* Fiction: A Hole To China
* Critical biography at e-poets.net
Posted on September 14, 2009